Click below to:

Click below to:

Click above to follow:

ROCKY IN THE NEWS

WASHINGTON — Former state Rep. Andrew (Rocky) Raczkowski of Troy is joining the race to replace U.S. Rep. Dave Trott, R-Birmingham, who has said he will step down at the end of the current term.

Raczkowski, a businessman with a long tenure in the U.S. Army Reserves, served in the state legislature representing a Farmington Hills-based district between 1997 and 2003. A Republican, he lost a close bid to unseat then-U.S. Rep. Gary Peters in 2010.

Trott, a two-term congressman, announced recently his plans to step down after the current term, saying he wanted to return to private life and spend more time with his family.

His decision touched off a raft of speculation about who might enter the race on the Republican side to try to replace Trott in the Republican-leaning 11th congressional district in Oakland and western Wayne counties.

Businesswoman Lena Epstein -- who is currently an announced candidate for U.S. Senate next year -- is considering changing races and state Sen. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, and state Rep. Laura Cox, R-Livonia, are considering getting in as well.

The Cook Political Report, which handicaps races, recently changed the race for Michigan's 11th congressional district to a tossup, citing Trott's decision to step down. The district has been reliably Republican in recent years, however.

In his announcement, Raczkowski, who lives in Farmington Hills, took a swipe at those who might be more coy about whether they planned to get in or not, saying, "The younger version of me would have sent some post/email full of political platitudes and statements which would leave everyone guessing about my intentions."

"I'm running and we're going to win. Period," he said.

Running as Democrats for the seat are Haley Stevens, the former chief of staff to former President Barack Obama's auto task force, and Fayrouz Saad, who worked for the Department of Homeland Security and as director of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's Office of Immigrant Affairs. Several others are considering getting into the race as well.